New Missionaries Come

Elder Chase, Elder Morgan, Elder Briceño, Elder Smith, Elder Cardus, Elder Kirk, Hermana Villalba, and Hermana Pintos. 

Elder Briceño, from Peru, has a great conversion story. He hung with a rough group of young men in the city of Lima. One day that rough group of young men played a trick on their friend. They saw the Mormon Missionaries on the street and suggested to them that their friend would be a great contact. The Missionaries knocked on his door and he was later baptized. Now that is the kind of trick more people should play on their friends.

Lions and Tigers and Bears (oh my!)

The Mendoza zoo was a once in a life time experience. We were experiencing animals four feet from where we were standing, not like San Diego Zoo where you have a hard time even making out the animals in their cages. We were thinking this was great just to take pictures of the lions and tigers almost within arms reach, when we came across the zoo caretakers along the path. Jim spoke with them for awhile and the next thing we know they are our personal guides, allowing us to pet the mountain lion named Marcas, pet the bengal tiger, feed the monkeys popsicles, and feed the elephants. The mountain lion is their favorite and they even go into his cage to feed him he is so tame. The others are not as tame, and one even hissed and leaped at me hitting the chain link. Took two years off my life. The bengal tiger we were able to pet only while sitting and not looking at them, or they won't come near. Everywhere we went we could see the liability and danger to the public, yet the caretakers said nothing bad had happened in the 105 years it has been open. Obviously the teenagers in Mendoza are not like the ones in the states, who look for ways to get around the rules. All in all, we would say that the zoo experience tops anything we have done here in Argentina.

Mendoza Zoo with Spencer and Melinda

The zoo was a once in a life time experience. I have over a 100 pictures. I put the picture of the lioness in to show how close we were to the animals. The monkeys were just out in the trees swinging, and that Jacob's sheep has four horns (only found in S. A.). No barriers, no motes, just a little chain link fence. In many of the cage areas you could climb up the rock on the side and jump right in. There were ladders down into the cages for the water animals that anyone could climb down, and the steep terrain was sometimes a hazard. This was the most tranquil zoo experience I have ever had. The animals looked well cared for and healthy. 

Trip to the Aquarium with Spencer and Melinda

Uncommon friends!

This aquarium in Mendoza was on a blog as being an excellent aquarium with thousands of fish. We all got a good chuckle over that one when we toured the place in 5 minutes and the cost of admittance was only $1.50. The alligators and turtles were cute, laying on each other as if they were buddies. The Sea turtle was huge, and worth the visit. The problem is the water & animals were not well cared for and it was hard to see in the dark, damp enviornment.

La Tupiña Restaurant and Salentein Bodega

So you don't miss the artistry of the photos- the picture at the top was taken at the famous La Tupiña restaurant (look at blog for Sister Allred and Dibbs). Jim caught Spencer and Melinda in the reflection of the glass and the table. I tried my hand at it and caught the bodega in the reflection of the glass, with the Salentein insignia above. We had another 15 course lunch at the restaurant, and we almost have the tour of Salentein memorized. What a joy to have our family here with us!

Inca Hotel

Spencer and Melinda are standing in front of the Inca Hotel. It is a hotel that was carved into the stone. A 20 room hotel that had bathrooms with springs popping out from the floor. It was closed in 2005 because of deterioration. It looks more like a prison to me. Above, We are bartering for Inca hats for the grandkids for Christmas. Melinda is wearing a new Inca sweater because it was pretty windy. The hotel is on the way to Aconcagua.

Aconcagua with Spencer and Melinda

Near the border of Argentina and Chile is Aconcagua, the highest peak in the northern hemisphere. It is almost 23,000 feet. We are standing at the trail head to the peak at around 11,000 feet. It was very windy and cold. We braved it for the picture. The climb to Aconcagua is known as the highest hike in the world. You only need crampons to climb over snow and ice, but no other climbing equipment is needed. Still people die every year. It takes 12-18 days because of the need to acclimate at various levels. You can't see it well, but on the right side of the mountain is a sheer cliff of snow that must be 200-300 ft. thick. One of the wonders of the world. We made sure President didn't cross the border or his mission boudaries.

Madonna The Parrot

This parrot is Madonna. She sits on the gate at the entrance to the zoo. She is quite friendly and loves to have her picture taken.

Altus Bodega with Sister Allred ad Sister Dibbs

On September 23, Sister Allred (Relief Society General Presidency) and Sister Dibbs (Young Women General Presidency & President Monson's daughter) came to Mendoza for a few days of training meetings. We hosted them while they were in our area. We brought them to a very famous Bodega in Tupangato called Salentein. The pictures above are from that winery. After we had lunch at the Altus winery were we had the most unique lunch experience. We were served 15 separate lunch items, which started with at least 7 hor'deurves. 

Bodega Salentein

Gonzalez Family Birthday Party

This was our first birthday party in Mendoza and we learned a lot about the effort that goes into celebrations here. The mother (blonde) cooked for three days straight making all the food by hand. We have seen pictures of our housekeepers family birthdays and for a lady of little means they were quite elaborate. The 15th birthday is the special "coming of age" party here. It is common for a family to spend more on this party than on a wedding (Well, since they don't get married here, I guess you might miss the point on that one).

The Night Life in Mendoza

On a Friday night after 9:00 the city of Mendoza comes alive. We went to an outdoor artisan fair where there were booths, music, BBQ, and Sarina's tango instructor. He was performing with his partners. They were great! In one of the dances, the men came into the audience and chose young ladies to dance with them. Sarina was chosen by her instructor and danced the Argentine tango. She had a blast. Of course being on the ballroom dance team at BYU helps.

Cerro de la Gloria

The climb up the hill to La Gloria is a nice hike. The monument is in the outskirts of the park San Martin which is about two miles from our home. San Martin is the man on the horse. He led his army over the Andes from Chile to liberate Argentina from Spain. He and a man named Sarmiento are national heros here in the country. You will find busts, statues, and memorials in every city in the country in memory of their work. Sarmiento is known for bringing literacy to the people, especially women. He has many universities named after him. His mother was an artist, and so the women in the country were allowed to start painting after his influence in the government. 

Wedding of the Calderon's

My first Argentine wedding. This couple and their three children needed to get married before they could be baptized. Their wedding was an experience that saddened me. We arrived at the registry, took a number, waited for our turn with the Registrar (judge?), then he said a few words and they were married. The suit Brother Calderon is wearing is from our missionary reserve closet, the sister missionaries did Sister Calderon's hair and makeup for their special day. The only other celebration was the rice throwing as they left the building. The next day was the special day of course, they were baptized. Sarina had taken pictures at the wedding and gave them a lovely album of all the pictures. They have never had a picture taken of their family. 

Sarina Cooking with Hermana Mallea

Preparation for Zone Leader dinner at our home. Hermana Mallea is cooking up her famous tortillas. Now for you non-Argentines who still think that all of Latin America eats tortillas, beans and rice, you are way wrong. We don't have salsa, tortillas, Mexican anything in our stores. We crave Mexican food, and so we are cooking tacos for the Elders. After an entire day of cooking, we put on a fabulous dinner. They even got fresh salsa and guacamole. Lucky Elders.

Asado Con Familia Alexander (BBQ with The Alexander Family)

Our first Asado (BBQ) In Argentina all barbeques use wood, no briquets or gas. You start the wood fire in the corner and then when you have hot coals you move the coals under this metal grill and cook your meat. The only seasoning they usually use is salt. Ocassionally they will use a marinade. You just put the meat, sausage, or chicken on the grill. This BBQ is on the roof top of an apartment building. The Argentines stretch out their meals to 2-3 hours. Mark Lusvardi from Provo was a guest of the Alexanders, we had a great time visiting with him.

Grocery shopping at Central Market

Grocery shopping in the city is quite an experience. I spend most of my day just shopping to prepare meals for the missionaries. All my purchases are in cash, no credit cards. Book keeping is very time consuming. Oh what I would give for a Costco! I have made a good friend here in Mendoza, her name is Adriana Rastelli. She speaks a little English, which is why we are fast friends. She took me shopping for the first time to help me get oriented.

A memorable visit from our Area Authority, Elder Aidukaitis. This picture is of our office staff during his visit. From left to right (front) Elders Romano, Aidukaitis, Lindahl, Hermana Lindahl, Smith, West (back) Elders Miles, Searle, Pedersen, Lamprecht, Maxfield, Slater, Williams, Fuentes. All very capable, fine young Elders.

Gonzalez Baptism

This was a wonderful week for us. When we first arrive we had the opportunity to teach Marcus Gonzalez, a father who is  finishing medical school. He was baptized one week, and the next Saturday he  baptized his wife and son. Marcus is now helping Jim with one of our greatest needs, helping our missionaries communicate with local doctors. He accompanies them to their appointments and makes sure that all is taken care of properly. 

Area Conference with Elder Richard G. Scott

In August Jim and I attended an area conference in Buenos Aires with Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Gonzalez. It was a wonderful weekend of teaching and a special day at the temple. Elder Scott has a way of making us all feel special and needed in this great work. He has become a friend who will always have a special place in our hearts.